Barrel-truss



I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. OBRYAN, OF PAYNEVILLE, KENTUCKY.

'B ARREl -TRUSS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,944, dated June 6,1882.

Application filed March 20, 1882. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. OBRYAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Payneville, in the county of Meade and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel-Trusses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings,and to letters or figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates toan implement designed for the purpose of drawingthe staves of barrels snugly together to facilitate the application ofhoops thereto, and is adapted to be used in barrel-factories and inwarehouses where hooped packages are stored when such packages have beenbursted by the swelling of their contents, or when such contents 'as tobacco has cured, dried, or shrunken and it is desired to tighten thepackages by the reapplication of hoops; and my invention consists incertain devices and combinations of devices hereinafter fully described,and specifically set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective of my device, and Fig. 2 is a plan withthecover removed.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A represents a portable crescent-shaped case provided with a centralshaft, B, having a ratchet, O, and crank D secured thereto. To the top Eof the case is secured a pawl, F, adapted to act upon the ratchet and tobe swung upon its pivotf away from the ratchet. The top is also providedwith a suspension hook, G, secured by a bail, h, and staples i t. Thecover and its appendances is secured to the case by screws J J. Throughthe perforation bin the shaft B is passed an endless cord, strap, orrope, K, which is coiled about said shaft at each side of theperforation b in opposite directions,one portion passing through anopening, K, being guided by and upon the pulleys k k, and thence on theoutside of the case to and through an opening, K at the lower side andopposite-end of the case, and is guided by the pulleys k k (in dottedlines) back to the shaft where it joins the other portion oppositelycoiled thereon.. The bearings of the guide-pulleys k k, k k are shafts Zsup- I 1 ported in the cover and bottom of the case and the bridgepieces or partitions M, one pair of said guide-pulleys being above andthe other pair below the partitions, as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2.

The operation of the device is as follows: The rope is unwound fromshaft B and thrown around a barrel, and the crank is turned, thustightening the rope and drawing the staves together, the inwardly-curvedside of the case resting against the side of the barrel, and, ifdesired, the suspension-hook resting over the chines. When the rope isdrawn sufficiently tight the pawl is thrown against the ratchet,

and the barrel-staves are thus temporarily held together until the hoopsare securely attached, when the process is points on the barrel.

I am aware that circular portable trusscases have been used; but thecrescent-shaped case has the advantage that it can readily be applied toa cask the staves of which are greatly expandedas, for instance, whenall the end hoops are removed-in which case either a cumbersome circularcase must be used or preliminary compression of the expanded staves mustbe secured before such a case can be applied, whereas with 'acrescentshaped case the rope can'readily be put about the staves. andthe operation at once commenced.

Having described my invention and its operation, what I claim as new,and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The portable crescent-shaped case A, provideg with the central shaft,B, the ratchet and pawl, and the rope K, wound in opposite direc tionson the shaft, the whole being combined, arranged, andoperatingsubstantially as shown and described;

2. In a barrel-truss, the combination of the crescent-shaped case A,provided with the partitions M, shaft B, rope K, and pulleys Ma, klocated in pairs on opposite sides of the partitions, substantially asshown and described.

in testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M."OBRYAN.

repeated at other Witnesses:

J OHN GILLILAND, CHARLES VRELAND.

IOO

